Click for full-sized version. Shopping Cart Dangers Team: Lead investigative blogger: Kelby Carr Chief investigative bloggers: Amy Lupold Bair, Mary Davis, Shannan Powell Field investigators: Kristile Cain, Genna Cockerham, Edna Cohen, Julia Gregory, Connie Kallavig-Munson, Mishelle Lane, Jen Reeves, Angel Rodrigues, Lisa Russell, Erika Stanczake Become an Investigative Mommy Blogger

Shopping carts sent more children age 5 and under to the hospital than cribs, high chairs, walkers/jumpers, baby gates and changing tables combined, according to the CPSC’s NEISS Clearinghouse Database that tracks hospital visits according to product type.

Despite the major attention and public alarm over lead paint in toys that resulted in the enactment of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, there were not even enough hospital visits due to all types of toy-related poisoning in 2007 to estimate a number in the NEISS database. The visits were so low that for all toys combined, the results are “NA.” An examination of several high-profile CPSC recalls of toys for risk of lead poisoning showed no injuries or incidents were reported in those cases.

Yet a major law was passed to tighten regulations on makers of children’s products, a law that has been heavily criticized as potentially putting small independent toy makers out of business.

Meanwhile, about 65 small children in the U.S. alone were rushed to emergency rooms daily because of shopping cart-related injuries.

Continue reading the Shopping Cart Dangers report…

_{Photo of children in shopping cart, © Kathleen Franklin}

Here is an excerpt:

In a comprehensive assessment of systematic failures over the past eight years, the Center found more than 125 examples of government breakdown.

The failures occurred in areas as diverse as education, energy, the environment, justice and security, the military and veterans’ affairs, health care, transportation, financial management, consumer and worker safety, and more.

This report also gets extra Investigative Mommy Blogger points for striving for investigative journalism 3.0. Readers of the report can suggest additional government failures, and the public can rank the failures.

See the full report: Broken Government

An investigation by The Dispatch found that 87 of the 234 children who succumbed to abuse and neglect from 2002 to 2007 died on the watch of Ohio’s children services agencies. Their families or caregivers were being assisted and monitored by county children-services workers at the time of, or within a year before their deaths.

They’ve been kicked, strangled, suffocated, beaten, shaken, thrown, drowned, burned, frozen, poisoned, starved and denied medical care, all while county officials were monitoring their families, foster parents or caregivers.

See the full report: System fails, kids die

_{Photo of files &copy Elvis Santana}

Our fine group of mom bloggers is in the midst of our first investigation, and this is all very exciting. I have been asked for an update, so I thought I would post one here. We have 25 Investigative Mommy Bloggers, and some are working feverishly to get report number 1 finished. I don’t want to give too much away, but believe me when I say it is a subject that will interest all moms. It is also a major (yet overlooked) issue of public safety.

The vision I have of Investigative Mommy Blogger is to take things to a new level, to evolve to Web 3.0. The main idea is to merge the best of traditional journalism and the intense power and impact of mom blogging. Beyond that, our investigations will not simply report a wrong in society or an issue that must be addressed. It will add the extra step of providing tools and resources to empower our readers to make change.

I look forward to posting this first IMB investigation. If you have any questions about this process or this site, please email me at kelby at typeamom dot net.

_{Photo of child, &copy Paul Brunskill}.

Right now, this is just an idea and a very basic Wordpress install. I am looking for moms who might be interested in being investigative mommy bloggers. It’s great if you are a CAR whiz with 15-plus years of journalism experience, but it isn’t necessary. Even if you have no writing experience, there are tasks that you can do (and you can learn from those of us who do know a lot). So all moms, feel free to apply.

To give you an idea of how I picture an investigation going, Say we do an investigative report on fast food playground hygiene. Some of those who have a lot of experience can do things like interview PR people with major fast food chains, but any mom can help us report by visiting a local fast food chain, observing and taking pictures of the conditions, and reporting back.

So are you intrigued? I would so love it if we can prove bloggers can do what newspapers and other traditional media just won’t do anymore: write for the readers first and foremost, and expose wrongs in this world. Let’s start a revolution, my friends!

If you’re interested, fill out the form below. If you’d like to get updates as things progress, be sure to follow me on Twitter. And if you’re interested in supporting this noble cause as an advertiser, please contact me at kelby at typeamom dot net.

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_{Photo &copy Jyn Meyer}